Cooler and Cold Deck (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Cooler - cold deck (a deck of cards in a prearranged order, to be
surreptitiously brought into play at the gaming table)

Not in OED; HDAS has 1935


_The Washington herald_ (Washington, D.C.) March 12, 1911, Page 32 col 5

"At the psychological moment a certain industrious individual "raises
the cooler," and at once business becomes brisk."



_The Sphinx_ Oct 1917 p 153 col 2.
"He could make the "pass" with either hand, stack, run up, spread, work
the glass, hold out, and "come in" as quick as a flash and as for
working in a "cooler" he was a marvel."

Letter from T. Nelson Downs to Eddie McGuire 4/13/1925, reprinted in
_The Linking Ring_ May 1971 p. 74 col. 1
"Re - The setup for Black Jack - I've not tried it out yet but there's
so many simpler methods to beat Black Jack than a "Cooler" that a Cold
Deck seems ridiculous to me."



Cold Deck - OED and HDAS have 1857

_Greenville Mountaineer_ (Greenville, SC) Friday, August 16, 1844; page
1 col 4

"Seeing their inevitable defeat upon all the great issues involved in
the contest, they are attempting to introduce a collateral one, a "cold
deck," as Mr. Clay would say - by which to win the Presidential game."

_Spirit of the Times; A Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field
Sports, Literature and the Stage_ Dec 23, 1848; 18, 44; p. 519 col 1
[ProQuest American Periodicals]

"Ef yer "fightin' the tiger," you may swar ye'l git scratched, ef yer
try "poker" 'twon't be long afore yer buttin' agin four white aces, with
four kings perhaps, fur them no-account chaps, what fellers poker fur a
livin', is mighty apt to wring in a cold deck on yer, ef they can't
stock the one yer a usin'; and ef yer set down to "uker," playin' fer
fun and whiskey, all hands is a sure as shootin' to git ukered in the
eend."

[note: this also antedates "tiger" = faro (OED has 1851)]



Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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